The Apprentice Blog - Season 3

Stephanie fired for "Lack of Leadership"

Trump made no bones about it, Stephanie was fired for "lack of leadership". 

What I saw was a leader who didn't want to be on her own team and nothing says "lack of leadership" more than not wanting to follow yourself.

• Instead of sticking with her team, Stephanie chosing to spend over an hour on the subway deliverying pizzas to Brooklyn
  • There was a Domino's directly across the street from the construction site.  Net Worth could have called and had their training store deliver the pizza for them. (Can you say "decentralization"?)  Even if they lost a little money on the deal, I wonder what the hourly rate is for a model?
  • If you are going to be on the subway at lunchtime, why not bring a couple of extra pizzas and make some money in transit.  Okay, I probably wouldn't have thought of it either, but it's a captive audience... what a great opportunity.
• Stephanie should have handled the conflict between Chris and Alex directly and immediately. They obviously respect each other, and it would be good for the team long term.
  • Not handling this could have been part of her boardroom strategy.  Keep the tension high all the way to the boardroom and Stephanie will get less attention. 
  • But it backfired when Chris turned it around and got Alex to admit he'd rather work with Chris' temper than Stephanie.  (Good on Alex for saying in front of Trump what he said in front of the testimonial-cam.)
• And finally, her disrespect for her teammates. 
  • Who told her that in business you only had to work with people you like and respect? Business is filled with strong personalities, varied cultures, and strong emotions, especially when dealing with entrepreneurs.  The best leaders in the world leverage their flexibility and communication skills on a daily basis to negotiate, keep their teams motivated and get things done with a wide range of people.  So, suck it up!

Stephanie made some bad choices. She demonstrated a lack of flexibilty, graciousness, and class. And in the end, Stephanie was fired for a lack of leadership.

Street-side Pizza Pie - discuss

Okay, so this isn't strictly within the bounds of our discussions here, however I'd love to hear what you think about this.

You are walking down a street in New York City and you see a trailer selling pizza, where no trailer has been before.  They are selling a new Domino's pizza creation.

What would get you to turn away from your original lunch plans to buy a slice from these guys? 

Would it be price, interesting new creation, line-up appeal (long lines = interesting), speed, novelty aka nosiness, or something else?

Or would you just see them, continue on to your original lunch destination, and then get back to the office and blog it?

I would likely succumb to the novelty (yes, I admit to nosiness) and check them out.  The Domino's name would certainly add a fair amount of credibility and I wouldn't worry about the quality of the food... but I'd only get a slice if the lineups weren't too long and they were getting people fed fairly quickly.

And yes of course, I would have told you if I'd seen them. 

Since the Tall_Texan started it... my favourite pizza is: regular crust with pepperoni, roasted red pepper, hot chili peppers and pineapple (but ONLY if I can get the chili peppers too).  Though I once had an excellent BBQ Chicken pizza on a thin crust in Harare that ROCKED!.

So state your crust, sauce, topping preferences...

Episode 10 - Any Way You Slice It

A Fight Breaks Out Among Two Candidates and Chris Confronts His Tobacco Addiction

Donald Trump, sporting a short new haircut, begins this week's episode by once again evening the teams as Net Worth steals one candidate from Magna. The new team member immediately clashes with a colleague and their resulting fight creates immediate tension during the task.

Trump, an unabashed pizza lover, delivers this week's task by deadpanning "I love meatballs on my pizza." He then assigns the two teams to work with pizza giant Domino's on creating a new style of pizza, making it in a customized mobile trailer and then selling it on the streets of New York. The team with the most profit from sales wins.

The winning team is treated to an exclusive breakfast with Trump in his penthouse apartment and an opportunity to get to know him better during this crucial stage in the competition.

Back in the boardroom, Trump struggles to evoke passion out of one candidate but deals with passion overload from another. For the first time, Trump warns one candidate that they are in danger of being fired as they leave the first portion of the boardroom before returning for the final grilling.

So the question is - after the fast food fiasco and the customized airstream tasks under their belts, will selling pizza on the streets of NYC really be that much different?

Check out some spoilers and speculation already in progress

Episode 10 - The Pie's the Limit

The remaining eight candidates create a new style of pizza for Domino's and test their salesmanship on the streets of Manhattan. One team has to deal with two feuding teammates while the other group hits the pavement to market their creation. The winners are treated to private dining in a palatial penthouse while a strategic friendship comes to light in the boardroom.

03-31-2005 9pm